Widespread Pessimism: Large Majority Thinks Health Care System Will Get Worse
28 October 2003 - 5:54AM
PR Newswire (US)
Widespread Pessimism: Large Majority Thinks Health Care System Will
Get Worse U.S. Poll Shows Large Majority Also Sees Health Care More
as an Entitlement Than as a Private Economic Good ROCHESTER, N.Y.,
Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Most Americans are profoundly pessimistic
about the future of the American health care system, according to
this recent national survey of U.S. adults. One reason for this
pessimism may be the rapid increase in health care costs, a
substantial part of which is now being passed on to those with
health insurance and to patients. Another reason contributing to
this pessimism may be the sight of the Congressional Conference
Committee on the Future of Medicare struggling to reconcile the
different demands of Republicans, Democrats, the House and the
Senate, and the various interest groups who are seeking to
influence this debate. Even among Republicans, there are sharp
differences between members of the House of Representatives and the
Senate. It is still not clear whether any bill will actually emerge
and be signed into law. If it is not, public pessimism may grow.
Even if it is, the public may be less than enthusiastic about any
new bill. Yet another reason for pessimism may be that while most
people think that health care should be a right, or an entitlement,
that is not the way the administration or the Congress see it. A
survey by Harris Interactive conducted online with a nationwide
cross section of 2,306 adults surveyed between September 16 and 23,
2003 finds a lopsided 62% to 25% of the public are more pessimistic
than optimistic about the likelihood that the health care system
will improve in the next five years. Majorities of all segments of
the population that Harris Interactive analyzed are pessimistic.
The highest level of pessimism is found among liberals,
independents, moderates, Democrats, those with post-graduate
education, and among lesbians, gays or bisexuals. The most
optimistic (or, rather, the least pessimistic) groups are the
Republicans, conservatives, and people aged 65 and over, who stand
to benefit eventually if there is a new Medicare drug benefit.
TABLE 1 OPTIMISTIC/PESSIMISTIC THAT HEALTH CARE SYSTEM WILL
IMPROVE? "On the whole are you more optimistic or more pessimistic
about the likelihood that the health care system will improve and
become better in the next five years?" Base: All Adults Total Party
I.D. Republican Democrat Independent % % % % Optimistic 25 34 20 20
Pessimistic 62 55 66 69 Not sure 13 10 13 11 TABLE 2 MOST
OPTIMISTIC AND MOST PESSIMISTIC GROUPS Most Optimistic (Least
Pessimistic) Optimistic Pessimistic Republican % 34 55 Conservative
% 34 56 Aged 65 + % 31 55 Incomes $25,000 to $34,999 % 30 59 The
West % 29 62 Aged 18 - 24 % 28 52 Most Pessimistic Liberals % 19 72
With postgraduate education % 20 71 Independents % 20 69 Lesbian,
gay or bisexual % 18 68 Moderates % 22 67 Democrats % 20 66 Should
health care be more a public good (an entitlement) or a private
economic good? By a much wider than 2-to-1 majority (65% to 23%),
most people think that health care policy should treat health
insurance more as an entitlement like education, police and fire
protection and highways, rather than as a product or service like
cars, houses, food and clothing, or homeowner's insurance, where
you get what you can afford and want to pay for. There are
substantial differences between Democrats and Republicans on this
issue. By a large 79% to 10% majority, most Democrats think that
health insurance should be more like an entitlement. Only a 46%
plurality of Republicans think this way; almost as many (43%) think
health insurance should be thought of more as a kind of product or
service where you get what you can afford and want to pay for. In
this question, independents look more like Democrats than
Republicans. TABLE 3 SHOULD HEALTH CARE BE A PUBLIC GOOD
(ENTITLEMENT) OR A PRIVATE ECONOMIC GOOD? "Do you think public
policy should treat health care and health insurance more as an
entitlement like education, police and fire protection and highways
or more as a kind of product or service, like cars, house, food and
clothes, or homeowners insurance where you get what you can afford
and want to pay for?" Base: All Adults Party I.D. Total Republican
Democrat Independent % % % % Entitlement 65 46 79 71 As a kind of
product or service 23 43 10 19 Not sure 12 10 11 10 So what? In all
western democracies, there are substantial public sector and
private sector health care providers and insurers. Of course, all
the other western democracies provide some form of universal health
insurance. What is less well known in America is that they also
allow people (with some exceptions) to buy additional health
insurance and medical care with their own money. However, in every
other western democracy a reasonable level of health insurance is
seen as a right, something to which citizens are entitled. So in
every country including the United States, health care is of course
both an entitlement (for some people) as well as a private economic
good. The question is should it tilt more one way or the other. In
other countries, it clearly tilts heavily toward being more of an
entitlement. Most Americans clearly agree with most Europeans and
Canadians that health care could be thought of more as an
entitlement or public good than as a private economic good.
Downloadable PDFs of the Harris Interactive Health Care News are
available at
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/newsletters_healthcare.asp
Methodology The Harris Poll(R) was conducted online within the
United States between September 16 and 23, 2003 among a nationwide
cross section of 2,306 adults. Figures for age, sex, race,
education and number of adults in the household were weighted where
necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in
the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust
for respondents' propensity to be online. In theory, with
probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent
certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or
minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult
population had been polled with complete accuracy. Unfortunately,
there are several other possible sources of error in all polls or
surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical
calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be
interviewed (non-response), question wording and question order,
and weighting. It is impossible to quantify the errors that may
result from these factors. This online sample was not a probability
sample. These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of
the National Council on Public Polls. About Harris Interactive(R)
Harris Interactive (http://www.harrisinteractive.com/) is a
worldwide market research and consulting firm best known for The
Harris Poll(R), and for pioneering the Internet method to conduct
scientifically accurate market research. Headquartered in
Rochester, New York, U.S.A., Harris Interactive combines
proprietary methodologies and technology with expertise in
predictive, custom and strategic research. The Company conducts
international research through wholly owned
subsidiaries-London-based HI Europe (http://www.hieurope.com/) and
Tokyo-based Harris Interactive Japan-as well as through the Harris
Interactive Global Network of local market- and opinion-research
firms, and various U.S. offices. EOE M/F/D/V To become a member of
the Harris Poll Online(SM) and be invited to participate in future
online surveys, visit http://www.harrispollonline.com/. DATASOURCE:
Harris Interactive CONTACT: Bonnie Hughes of Harris Interactive,
+1-585-214-7541, or Web site: http://www.harrisinteractive.com/
http://www.harrispollonline.com/ http://www.hieurope.com/
Copyright